A tag on top of a pile of crocheted items made by Debra Parady of Sanford, who donates items to veterans. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

A tag on top of a pile of crocheted items made by Debra Parady of Sanford, who donates items to veterans. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

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A pile of crocheted items made by Debra Parady of Sanford is stacked on a table inside her home. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

A pile of crocheted items made by Debra Parady of Sanford is stacked on a table inside her home. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

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Debra Parady of Sanford poses Monday for a portrait with items she has crocheted for veterans. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

Debra Parady of Sanford poses Monday for a portrait with items she has crocheted for veterans. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

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Debra Parady of Sanford works on one of many items she crochets for veterans. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

Debra Parady of Sanford works on one of many items she crochets for veterans. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

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Debra Parady of Sanford works on one of many items she crochets for veterans inside her home on Monday. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

Debra Parady of Sanford works on one of many items she crochets for veterans inside her home on Monday. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

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Debra Parady of Sanford poses for a portrait with items she has crocheted for veterans inside her home on Monday. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

Debra Parady of Sanford poses for a portrait with items she has crocheted for veterans inside her home on Monday. (Katy Kildee/kkildee@mdn.net)

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Sanford woman uses crochet hobby to help veterans and soldiers

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A Sanford woman is using a longtime hobby to help veterans, soldiers and others in need.

"People are my passion, and crocheting is my therapy," Debbie Parady said this week.

Parady made use of time recovering from surgery last year to crochet 110 "lapghans" - a small afghan designed to cover one's lap - for veterans.

A certificate from American Legion Auxiliary Unit 463 in South Boardman (near Kalkaska) hangs on a wall in her home in appreciation of the lapghan project. She has a family connection to that American Legion Auxiliary unit, and Parady's husband took the lapghans up north when he went hunting in November.

The items were distributed to veterans in need - some disabled, some with illnesses and some who simply have no family nearby.

Parady was particularly pleased to hear about one veteran who had not spoken to her caregivers in two years but who responded to a lapghan that contained some gold metallic yarn.

"It got the woman to get out of her shell," Parady said.

She was unable to attend an event to receive her certificate from Unit 463, but has promised to go up sometime this year and personally help hand out lapghans.

Parady had a box full of lapghans on hand at her home - soft, cozy and in a variety of colors and sizes. When a lapghan is donated, a tag is attached that says "Handmade with Love. Love, Lil Mama." "Lil Mama" is a nickname Parady has long had because she "takes care of everybody."

She crochets the pieces freestyle, and doesn't even have to keep her eyes on her hands as she does her hobby.

"I don't work from a pattern. Patterns and I don't get along," she quipped. "I can crochet without watching. It's a major stress reliever. It's very healthy for me."

She also has been crocheting "beanies" that active-duty soldiers can wear under their helmets. The first 60 she produced - in subdued browns and greens - were donated to Midland-based charity Aaron's Gifts from Home.

"Our soldiers are giving all they have for us," she said.

The beanies help keep soldiers' heads warm in some of the cold places where they're serving.

Parady said she has been crocheting for more than 30 years, and has always crocheted gifts for others, including relatives, friends and local children, as a way to share her love and care.

She heard about the need for the lapghans and thought, "Our veterans need that love, too."

It takes a lot of yarn to make all those lapghans and beanies, and friends and family mostly gave her yarn for Christmas last year. She even used money from a Wal-Mart "savings catcher" to reinvest in yarn.

Crocheting is a hobby she can do not only at home but also can take with her if she has to sit and wait. "I take it with me everywhere," she said. It takes Parady five to six hours to crochet a lapghan and less than an hour to make a beanie.

In addition to her crochet efforts, she has been involved in many other projects, volunteering "where it's most needed." That could be caring for children or ailing relatives, or donating her hair to a charity that makes wigs for children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment. She really enjoys "that feeling of being able to help people."

Parady accepts donations of funds and materials for her lapghan and beanie projects. She can be contacted at 989-205-5167.